Paramaribo Sights

  1. Central Market

    Sprawling along the waterfront, the frenzied central market is just the place to get an earful, eyeful and gutful of all Parbo has to offer. It's really three markets in one. The nearly ominous Maroon market is full of bones, sticks, feathers, caged monkeys and various tonics and fruits for ceremonial and medicinal purposes.

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  2. Dutch Israeli Synagogue

    A few blocks away from the Roman Catholic Kathedraal are some of the continent's finest examples of other religious buildings - the biggest mosque in the Caribbean and the expansive Dutch Israeli synagogue - sitting harmoniously side by side on Keizerstraat.

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  3. Fort Zeelandia

    The well-restored Fort Zeelandia has stood watch over this bend in the Suriname River for more than 300 years. Originally built by the French, it was expanded by the British before being completed by the Dutch in 1667 - the finished product is a pentagonal shape with a bastion at each corner. Set in an evocative spot offering great views along the river, it's a must for history buffs.

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  4. Maroon Market

    Not for the fainthearted, the frenzied central market is divided into distinct areas: the nearly ominous Maroon market is full of bones, sticks, feathers, caged monkeys and various tonics and fruits for ceremonial and medicinal purposes.

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  5. Numismatic Museum

    Situated on a pretty Paramaribo street lined with colonial buildings, this museum is a must for coin and banknote afficionados. Its collection dates back to the early days of the Dutch colony with the prize piece being the copper Papegaaienmunt , or Parrot coin, of 1679.

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  6. Onafhankelijkheidsplein

    A central square which features a statue of legendary former prime minister Pengel. In its surrounds are the stately 18th-century Presidential Palace, aging colonial government buildings and an ultramodern finance building. Behind the palace is the Palmentuin, a shady haven of tall royal palms, home to some tropical birds and a troop of capuchin monkeys.

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  7. Palmentuin

    The Palmentuin is a shady haven of tall royal palms, home to some tropical birds and a troop of capuchin monkeys.

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  8. Presidential Palace

    The stately 18th-century Presidential Palace is contrasted against aging colonial government buildings and an ultramodern finance building.

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  9. Roman Catholic Kathedraal

    One of the largest wooden structures in the world, Paramaribo's Petrus and Paulus Cathedral was built in 1885 to replace an earlier church destroyed by fire. It is an impressive, if slightly rickety, structure with a beautifully ornate carved wooden interior. Restoration work is ongoing so expect some scaffolding. Check out the views from the spires if you can.

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  10. Stichting Surinaams Museum

    Inside well-restored Fort Zeelandia, a pentagonal 17th-century fort built on the site where the first colonists alighted, is the Stichting Surinaams Museum, which features colonial-era relics, period rooms and temporary exhibitions.

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  12. Surinaams Museum

    Housed inside Fort Zeelandia, this museum features colonial-era relics of the 'musket and shackle' variety plus some pre-Columbian artifacts. While the collection isn't extraordinary, the views are great and several smaller buildings, such as the officers quarters, also within the fort, are well worth a look.

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